Park Güell Barcelona by Martijn Barendregt
Spanish are known as active and energetic people. Just as most Europeans, they follow all kinds of nature saving programs. Bicycle in Spain has its own place not only in sport but also in ordinary lives of the Spanish.
If you want to explore this beautiful country by bike, there are several touristic routes that are made especially for biking.
For example there is a famous pilgrimage walk. Many modern pilgrims go on a pilgrimage by bicycle. They made some basic rules that are now used by all bikers.
Before you start your trip, be sure to make detailed plans, determine how many kilometers you want to travel. If you want to go from Camino Frances to Roncesvalles you will need a minimum of 10 days.
Plan your trip with a reserve day in order to visit holy places that are on your way. Average speed of Pilgrim cycler is 100 km. a day. On your way there will be a nice chain of take away, called Asador Pili Archena. It is rather cheap and most important organic.
Watch for signs. There are alternative routes for the same municipalities, but more suitable for cycling.
If you have no experience in cycling tourism, you should get ready physically. Firstly you should train in simple cycling, each time increasing the distance on complex routes. Cycling technique used in bicycle tourism is different from the one used in cycling. In cycling tourism the most practiced riding is the one with uniform, without acceleration or pace. It is believed that it is necessary to drive the same distance to the start biking trip that you’re planning. Don’t forget about gym. Train your legs, back and neck muscles.
Another popular place to bike in Spain is definitely Barcelona. In order to evaluate the benefits of biking in Barcelona just look at the map of the city. Only medieval town is done randomly with narrow streets and closed on all sides of the square. The rest of Barcelona is carefully designed and divided into square blocks, which are separated by wide avenues and streets, some of which are equipped with bicycle paths.
La Sagrada Familia by Dries-Buytaert (Creative Commons)
Renting a bike in Barcelona is very simple, you can ask for flyers in your hostel; or simply go to the street Carrer dels Tallers, where you can rent a bike for a day for 10 euros, and for three days – 25. Garage is a 2-minute walk from La Rambla – the main street of Barcelona.
Bicycles have working lights so you can ride it a night when Barcelona is especially beautiful. And if you’re staying in a hostel, you can leave the bike for a night on a patio.
And when you’re on a bike, you can ride on through Barcelona. Along La Rambla in the port of Barcelona (Section AB) Thence along the coast to the little district Barceloneta, where lunch is cheaper than in the city center and will be in the company of authentic white-collar workers of Barcelona. If you still want to feel like a tourist, ride along the beach in Barceloneta, there are a lot of cozy and blown by the sea breeze cafes and restaurants. (C-D).
This is a guest post by Vera Petryk, an author for spain.net